The Light Of Konoha

Lord Third

Kakashi's P.O.V.

My eye widened as I looked more closely at the gi-...boy.
Boy.
No matter how hard I looked, he still had a feminine air about him.

"Ah, I apologise."

He looked at me blankly, tilting his head in that cute way again.
He furrowed his brows.

"A-pol-o-gize..." He said slowly, spelling out each part of the word.
He parted his lips, feeling the foreign word on his tongue.

I mentally facepalmed.
'Of course he wouldn't know what that meant! He's five for Kami's sake... He just seemed so mature in the way he spoke, I completely forgot.'

"Never mind..." I muttered.

I stopped, he continued walking a few paces before he realised I had halted and stopped aswell.

"We're here," I said monotonously.

He tilted his head, arching his back to get a full view of the tower before him, almost falling over backwards.

It was so adorable.

His mouth hung agape as he marvelled at the magnificent structure.

Guy had peeled off a while back, claiming to have some 'important training' to attend to yet it was clear he was off buying heaps of presents for the young boy.

"Come on," I called softly, walking through the doors, followed by the young boy.

We stood before the large wooden doors, the kanji for 'Hokage' written upon its surface.
I looked at the boy beside me.
"You ready?"

He nodded with a cute determined expression.

Suppressing a chuckle, I rapped on the door with the back of my hand, my arm falling lazily back to my side.

An old, wise voice rung out from the other side.
"Come in."

The doors swung open and I could sense the child tense beside me.

The old man sat comfortably behind his desk, his robes draped across his chair.

He leaned on his hands, gazing curiously at the child, his face wrinkled as he smiled warmly at us.

"Hello Kakashi, and who might this be?"

I bowed, "Hokage-sama."

The child bowed respectfully as well, surprising us both at his manners and etiquette despite being so young.

I scratched the back of my head sheepishly. "I, uh, I don't actually know who he is... We found him collapsed from exhaustion just outside the villiage..."

The child stared warily at the Hokage before opening his mouth to speak, his voice was soft and quiet.
"My name is Aki Furasshu."

The Hokage leaned forward slightly, his interest piqued.

"I am five.
I was on a journey with mummy when one day I got up and she wouldn't wake up..."
His eyes glazed over but his speech never faltered, as if rehearsed.
"There was red stickiness....
B...Bl-blood...
I was scared so I ran.
I ran for as long as I could and I got tired and fell to sleep.
Then I was found by Kaka-San and Guy-kun."

I raised an eyebrow at my nickname, once again it slipped my mind that he was only a child due to the way he presented himself to others.

I noticed the kimono that he was still clutching tightly to his chest.

"That kimono..." I said quietly,
"Where is it from?"

At that a single tear slid down his cheek, "my mummy's..."

He continued to cry silently, not once letting a chocked sob escape his lips.

The Hokage looked solemn as he rose from his seat.
He walked around his desk until he was stood before the boy.

Aki looked up in awe and quickly wiped his eyes, the Hokage knelt and embraced him.

Aki let out a surprised gasp before breaking down and clutching the Hokage tightly, kimono still in hand.

I watched in silence.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," the Hokage spoke softly, "you are welcome here my child, should you wish to stay...
We can look after you, give you with a home and money until you can earn for yourself..."

The boy was speechless, eyes wide, he nodded gratefully.

For the first time he smiled, and it was beautiful.

"Thank you..." He said quietly.

The Hokage simply grinned, returning to his seat.

"Do you wish to become a shinobi? Like 'Kaka-san'?" He said with faint amusement.

I glanced at the the third with an exasperated look in my eye, hoping to Kami that nickname wouldn't stick.

Aki glanced at me before nodding excitedly, bouncing on his toes with excitement.

The Hokage seemed to notice something about the kimono, his brow furrowing as he looked at it.

"Child... Would you let me see that for a moment?"
He gestured to the extravagant clothing.

The boy looked reluctant at first but hesitantly held it out in front of him.

The Hokage's eyes widened.

The emblem decorating the back resembled a firework, decorated beautifully with delicate embroidery.

"Ah, I see..."
The Hokage nodded to himself,
"I thought that name sounded familiar," he mused.

"You know my clan?" Aki questioned.

The boy leaned forward, curiosity sparking in his eyes.

"How could I not know of the famous Furasshu clan?
They did originate from the village hidden in the leaves, after all," the Hokage chuckled.

The boy's eyes widened, "really?!"

"Indeed..."
The Hokage's face fell,
"but they're supposed to have died out long ago..."

The boys face dropped, "mummy didn't tell me much about our clan,
I've never seen anyone else who was like us...
She did teach me how to use my kekkei genkai...
But nothing else of our clan."

The Hokage gasped, "a kekkei genkai at such a young age?!"

The boy tilted his head and remained silent.

"I don't know much about your clan as it was before my time, but we do have scrolls in our library that may speak of them..." The Hokage mused.

The boy nodded, deep interest glinting in his eyes.

The Hokage looked to me then back to the boy.

"We do still have a compound for the Furasshu clan within the leaf village, if you wish to stay there, you may.
You might even find some clues of your past...
Kakashi?
May I trust you to lead him there?"

I nodded silently, suppressing the sigh from the added work.
Yet looking at the strangely intelligent child, I decided it wouldn't be so bad...

"Good.
Aki?
Can you wait outside for a moment please while I speak with Kakashi?"

The child left the room and as the doors shut and the Hokage turned to me.

"I want you to train him, from now on until he is twelve years of age. He will join he academy for a few months until graduation so he may get a feel for his future teammates," the Hokage said wisely,
"I feel it would be beneficial if he is trained separately before joining.
Is that agreeable?"

I stayed silent for a few moments but I did not feel burdened, I had already grown a soft spot for young Aki, and he didn't seem as annoying as most children.

"Yes Lord Third," I replied diligently.

I smiled beneath my mask, already looking forward to the years ahead...